


A promise I'll try to keep

by CyberpunkThot



Category: Cyberpunk 2077 (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Feelings, Foot rubs, Night City is not a place for romance, Not really canon compliant because I know of no canon, OOC, Or Is It?, Serious Talks, Valentines Day was made by the Corporations!, kinda established relationship, let me live
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-16
Updated: 2019-02-16
Packaged: 2019-10-29 22:04:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17816351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CyberpunkThot/pseuds/CyberpunkThot
Summary: Meredith Stout and V have a strange arrangement between them. All is fine until V starts pushing for more. But how will Meredith react.They are from different world but live in the same City. Things are always easier said than done.





	A promise I'll try to keep

**Author's Note:**

> Big thanks to SPEEDCORE70 for helping me get through this. This will be new territory for me but I'm trying my best!  
> Also, we have like 5 minutes of Meredith in the gameplay video, so I'm working with what I've got. So if I stray way too far from the actual story, tough! I want to write my love story in peace thank you.

Another day surviving Night City and V felt that she deserved to kick her feet up with her buddy, Jackie. They headed towards V’s apartment, not wanting to brave visiting one of the numerous bars this evening. The reason being it was currently Valentine’s Day. That meant that the bar owners had marked up all the prices, exploiting the patrons on this corporate holiday. However, even if it was a holiday created by the corporations, that didn’t mean that V hated the idea of it. Spending a whole day telling your romantic partner how much you love them and how much they mean to you - who wouldn’t want that? 

Meredith, apparently. At the beginning, Meredith had cut a deal with V. Meredith offered inside information to V if V cleaned up a few of the loose ends that a corpo couldn’t quite manage to. Some point down the line their relationship began to change. The looks lingered longer. The touches became more intimate. The dynamic between them reached its peak. Meredith liked how V would do as she said, and V liked doing what Meredith asked. It wasn’t long until they took it to the bedroom. V found she enjoyed handing that control over, knowing how much it pleased her corpo. Meredith enjoyed having that control over V - she enjoyed holding all the cards - but she wasn’t ready to call this a romantic relationship. To her, it was just another business arrangement. 

Jackie showed clear discontent towards the whole thing for a few reasons: he was worried V was becoming a corporate puppet, willing to help the people she disliked most. Not to mention that V was now willing to take on the corpo’s dirty work, putting herself, and by extension him, into more danger. No matter what he said though, V remained firm in her belief that her relationship with Meredith was one built on trust and was mutually beneficial. So V often told Jackie to mind his own business whenever he tried to pry.

Work came first for Meredith. V understood this. But that didn’t mean that she was still disappointed when Meredith told her that Valentine’s Day was just another day, nothing special about it. V and Jackie instead spent the day taking on small jobs involving cheating partners. After all that, the decision to drink at V’s was an easy one. 

“I can’t say I’m surprised your little corpo girlfriend didn’t want to celebrate tonight jaina,” Jackie chuckled as he followed V to her front door. 

“Whatever,” V waved his comment away, “I’m actually surprised you haven’t poached a couple to take back to your bed!”

“Hey now!” He held his hands up in defence, “I just wanted to keep you company, just drinks between old friends.”

“Ha! Drinks that I bought with my money. I don’t see you contributing anything casanova,” entering the code into the keypad, V opened the door for them to enter. As she rounded the corner of the hallway though she saw a familiar figure sitting on her couch. 

Stopping abruptly, V span around and rest an outstretched arm against the wall, blocking Jackie’s path. “Y’know Jack, I kinda wanna get an early night tonight. Its’s been a long day,” she exaggerated a yawn and stretched her hands high above her head, “yep! Super tired, raincheck?”

Jackie stopped in place, more than a little confused at his friends sudden change in mood, “oh.”

“We can go tomorrow?” V walked forward, placing a hand onto Jackie’s broad chest, encouraging to step backwards. “We can go to The Afterlife, my treat of course!”

Getting the hint, Jackie turned and walked back towards the front door, “Well if you’re buying, we’re gonna get fucking wasted!”

“Sure sure, why don’t you go find some fun for the night yeah?” V practically pushed her large friend through the doorway before slamming the door shut. Whatever Jackie was going to say went unheard. The only thing on her mind right now was the woman sitting on her couch. 

Quickly straightening her clothes and smoothing her hair back, V walked calmly into her front room. The woman sitting on the couch looked tired, not that much of an uncommon trait but she had never looked this bad before. V knew better than to mention that fact though. Her clothes were slightly disheveled too, but she was a woman of action. A lot of her job involved running around the City, getting her hands dirty. 

Meredith lifted her head, not looking at V but instead looking out the large window that overlooked the neon City below. 

“Y’know, I could just give you the code, saves you having to hack in each time?” V liked when Meredith would surprise her with these random visits. V trusted Meredith enough to give her unrestricted access to her own space, it would be a big step for them, but each time the corpo refused.

“Now where would the fun be in that?” Meredith turned slightly towards V, even her voice sounded tired, although there was a slight hint on humour there.

V knew that Meredith was’t made of stone and it always made V’s heart beat just a fraction faster when she was treated with a glimmer of Meredith’s softer side. “Thought you said you were busy tonight,” V wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth but she wanted to know why Meredith chose to come here after what must have been a tough day. Could it be that Ms Stout cared more about V than she let on? Possibly not, but V could pretend.

“I was,” Meredith raised a hand to the back of her neck, rolling her head from side to side, “however, I’ve found myself with some free time. I’ve been on my feet all day,” She finally looked over and made direct eye contact with the younger woman. “Rub my feet would you,” her voice was demanding but also something else. Something that hinted at something more.

V knew it wasn’t a request - it was a demand. The shift in mood registering immediately. Nodding at her house guest, V removed her jacket, dimmed the lights and knelt on the floor beside Meredith’s feet. She didn’t say anything as she carefully removed the shoes from Meredith’s feet, placing each neatly on the floor. The next thing to be removed was the stockings that covered the corpus legs. V removed each one calmly and efficiently, rolling each one and leaving them in the corresponding shoes. Happy that she had finished preparations, V looked up at Meredith one more time, who responded with a curt nod. 

Taking one of Meredith’s feet onto her lap, V soon got to work. She carefully kneaded the sole and smother her hand over the warm skin. As she continued to work, she could her Meredith sighing as the tension left her body. 

After a few minutes, V started paying attention to her other foot, giving it the same attention as the first. V watched the face of her companion, Meredith always held herself in a strong and confident way, always putting on an aggressive front when in the company of her enemies and even her allies. But in moments like this, she looked tired, the harsh lines on her face softening. V felt that Meredith didn’t let her guard down so easily in front of others. It made V feel special. Although Meredith would deny that this arrangement between was nothing more than a physical arrangement, her actions often spoked differently.

Relaxing under V’s touch, Meredith took a pack of cigarettes out of her pocket. Placing one between her lips and lighting the end. She took a deep breath, sitting back against the couch, leaning her head backwards as she exhaled the smoke into the air. The smoke caught the neon lights from outside briefly before dispersing. The air between them was calm. Whatever stresses of the day weighed on the two were forgotten in this moment. A rare occurrence but it was one too be savoured. 

Finishing her task of relieving the pain in the corpo’s feet, V sat back on her haunches, waiting for the next command. But none ever came. Meredith had finished her cigarette and lifted her feet so her legs were tucked beneath her. She did however, pat the space next to her, a wordless order for V to follow. 

Mirroring Meredith’s pose, V sat beside her. They looked at each other and V smiled at Meredith, who was now leaning her head against her hand, looking thoughtful. Usually at this point in the night, Meredith would take the lead, making sure they both got what they wanted but it seemed that tonight wasn’t going to follow the new tradition. 

Usually Meredith would not allow V to speak unless spoken too but something in V was feeling hurt seeing Meredith so…defeated. So she took a risk. “You wanna talk about it?” V knew that talking often helped. Even though V didn’t like the fact that Meredith was a corpo, it didn’t change the fact that she cared about her as a person.

Sighing heavily, the corpo shook her head, “just another day at the office.” 

When Meredith didn’t elaborate or scold V for speaking out of place, she decided to push her luck further, “it’s those pigs in suits who sit on the top floor isn’t it?” V didn’t like the corporations and she didn’t keep this a secret. If they couldn’t even look after their workers, how are they expected to look after the people on the streets. Meredith continued to remain quiet, unusual for her, but she held V’s concerned gaze. “Y’know, we could just run away, get away from all this,” she swept her arm towards the window. If it meant that V got to spend her life away from the corporations with the woman she loved (even if that woman hadn’t even said it back), then V would do it. She would do anything to bring out that happiness within the tough woman. 

Meredith let out a dry laugh, V was at it again with her talk of fantasy. They came from different worlds and they faced different trials that the other would never understand. Just as V would never be accepted into the corpo payroll, Meredith could never leave. “If only it was that simple,” she looked at the ground, where V had made sure to place her belongings neatly out of the way. 

“It could be,” V smiled and tilted her head to the side.

Could it really be though? This City was good at keeping people in their place. It was part of Meredith’s job: keeping people in check, making sure her missions go smoothly. For Meredith to abandon everything she’s ever known for what? The chance to be with a woman that clearly cared more about her than was necessary for their current arrangement. 

V let her hand fall and rest lightly onto of Meredith arm, slowly starting to stroke back and forth, “You don’t always have to be so tough y’know. Sometimes it’s good to have someone to lean on. Someone to come home to and share the burdens of life,” V subconsciously started leaning forward, closing the space between them. “Someone to even…love,” V looked down at where she was touching Meredith’s arm. She slowly lowered her hand, brushing against Meredith’s. Surprisingly, Meredith accepted the silent invitation and the two threaded their fingers together.

They both looked up and the same moment. The space between them getting gradually smaller. V held her breath. Despite them fooling around and getting physical before, they had never kissed, it was far too intimate for their activities. But maybe that was about to change. Maybe this would be the moment their entire dynamic changed for the better. 

Just as they were about to close the gap, the both jumped at the sound of nearby fireworks. Whatever bubble they were in had now burst, breaking the magic. The bright pink and red fireworks that exploded in the sky outside V’s window bathed the room in the tinted light. It would have been romantic but Meredith was quickly putting her stockings and shoes back on. 

V worried she had crossed the unspoken line between them but she’d come so far, she wasn’t about to let Meredith go back into the night now. “You can stay here tonight?” Meredith looked like she needed a good nights sleep and V had bought a new mattress with the money from her last job. “Just for tonight. You can go back to catching moles tomorrow, but tonight,” V stood and made to hold Meredith’s hand once more, “tonight, just forget about all that.” 

Meredith was in unfamiliar territory. No-one had ever shown her such compassion. And from a street rat no less. A match that was doomed to fail yet V was willing to try. Does that mean that Meredith should take that leap of faith with her? It would be a risk. But sometimes, risks were worth taking. 

“Just for tonight,” Meredith said after a long moment, “I must leave at first light.”  
V tried her best to contain her excitement. This was major. This was anew side to Meredith that V had always hoped was there. A side that was compassionate and raw. A side that made her human and not another puppet to the system. 

The duo made their way to the bedroom, V gathering a spare shirt for her house guest, not entirely sure what she usually wore to bed. Making sure to choose something that wasn’t stained and full of holes. 

“Thank you by the way,” Meredith accepted the offered shirt as V led her to the small bathroom so she could get ready in private. Not that they hadn’t seen all of each other before but this was different.

“No problem, I just hope they fit,” V chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.

“No, I mean…” Meredith looked at the clothes in her hands, not meeting V’s gaze. It was rare if ever that Meredith would be so vulnerable in front of others, but being around V made her want to be. “Thank you, for the foot rub…and for what you’ve said,” she took a deep breath, “you’ve given me a lot to think about.” At the beginning Meredith was only planning to use V for her own gains, but somewhere along the way, she had caught feelings. Feelings that she didn’t know how to handle. So she needed time to think about them. Get them in order. 

V was speechless for once. Meredith hadn’t returned the other woman’s confession but she hadn’t rejected it either. V was hopeful for a change. Perhaps the future held more for the both of them than either had originally planned.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think!  
> This may actually have a continuation in another fic but I gotta catch up with my others first lol
> 
> hmu on tumblr @cyberpunk-thot


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